Oncology Hospital :: Basics: What is Cancer?


Program Q & ACancer is not just one disease. It is a large and complex family of malignancies that can affect virtually every organ in the body. Cancer is second to heart disease as the leading cause of death.

Every year new cases are diagnosed, half of them occurring in the lungs, prostate, breast, colon and rectum. Cancer can strike at any age although it is most common in people over 50.

Cancer begins in the body cells which are constantly dividing and multiplying to replace old damaged cells. Sometimes cells begin to divide unnecessarily, forming excess tissue known as a tumour.

In most cases, tumours are benign, meaning that they are not cancerous. Benign tumours, although they may cause some health problems depending on their size and location, are not life threatening.

However, if an abnormal cell begins to divide, it eventually forms a malignant or cancerous tumour. Most malignant tumours grow quite rapidly, invading nearby organs and tissues. Cancerous cells can also travel through the bloodstream to other regions of the body. When cancer spreads from its original site, the process is known as metastasis. 

The good news is that cancer death rates have been declining in recent years, especially among men who generally experience higher rates than women.

Increasing public awareness has resulted in more people getting regular cancer screenings and practicing healthy lifestyles to reduce their risk.   

At worst, cancer is an acquired genetic disorder because it arises from damage of specific genes. Cancer is also an acquired disease because heredity only confers predisposition. Our emerging knowledge of such patterns helps us to understand how multiple causes of cancer coverage on uncontrolled cell proliferation.

The knowledge also points directly toward new means of detection and intervention, including identification and interruption of the precancerous stage.

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